Chocolates and Roses
by MS
Summary: Sakura was a bit nervous as she prepared for thier first official Valentine's Day. Something strange was going on though. Why was Syaoran getting flowers? And from guys no less? This bizarre situation changed VDay for the whole school. SxS,1shot


MS 

This is my Valentine Day's fanfic. Hope you enjoy it...

This was going to be the first Valentine Day that actually counted. Sakura had spent the previous night making the chocolate while Tomoyo had watched and distracted her with her comments. Syaoran spent the night tossing and turning in his bed as he anticipated the doings of the day to come. A very sweet Valentine's Day fic. At least as sweet and as innocent as I can make it :P . Read, don't read. Review or don't review. Do what you must...

Also, thanks to Cheeseycraziness for correcting my mispelling of a name. I was just too lazy while writing to find it and just put down something close to it that seemed right :P . Thank you for the correction and to all of you that have reviewed this story already. You all ROCK!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the card captor Sakura characters... everything else is mine.

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**_Chocolate and Roses_**

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He had come back just a few weeks earlier. Sakura pondered that as she gently stirred the melted chocolate on the pot. Touya stood growling at the kitchen's entrance while Yukito benignly smiled beside him at the picture she presented with her cute apron and bounded hair.

"So, have you decided what shape to make it?" Yukito asked as he saw Touya's knuckles flexing by his side as if he was strangulating someone. Yukito didn't have to exercise much imagination to actually see the image clear in his eyes. Everyone that knew Touya knew that he'd rather die than have his sister interested in a boy that might amount to something.

"She decided to not try to do something fancy for the first one and then work from there," Tomoyo chuckled as she felt Sakura tensing at her teasing tone.

"Why the monster bothers to make some chocolate for the brat is beyond me," Touya growled out as he menacingly stepped forward as if to grab the whole pot and throw it out the window only to be stopped by Yukito who dragged him out by his shirt's collar.

"Don't mind him girls," he said to them while giving the taller man a sharp glare. "He's just never going to get over the fact that he caught his sister kissing her boyfriend." The last word was said almost as a whisper to Touya's ear.

Touya's face scrunched up in distaste as he was dragged away from the room. Tomoyo laughed as she saw his ticking face expression. It seemed like the only one that could get away with such words was Yukito.

Tomoyo turned back to her friend, deciding to do something about the fact that Sakura was still as ramrod stiff as she had been the whole time they had been shopping for the supplies for the next day to come. "So tell me again why you're so high-strung over this? I know that this is not the first time you've made chocolate for someone you truly loved," Sakura blushed at Tomoyo's words. She bit her lip as she tried to let the thoughts of the previous years in which she had made the sweet treat for Yukito when she had her crush on him.

"I can still remember both you and Syaoran glaring at each other while giving Yukito your chocolates," Tomoyo's laugh was one of those that always made Sakura's eyes widen. Tomoyo could be a very scary person when she wanted to. Especially if you started to think too much about certain things that went about in your life and later realize that someone else could be pulling the strings.

This was something Sakura had realized with her confrontations with Eriol. The young magician had a lot in common with this eerie power Tomoyo also had over most aspects of her life and its people. Well, that was enough of that. She had other pressing concerns at the moment.

"Why would you be stressing over this when you know that the boy is crazy for you?" Tomoyo asked her friend as she saw Sakura stop stirring the treat.

Sakura was biting her lip, a bit of uncertainty present in her eyes as she turned to her friend. "I'm not sure," she finally answered while scratching her forehead. "It's just that I know he's going to get flooded with chocolates."

"Why would that bother you?" Tomoyo asked her friend recalling all of the other years they had spent with this holiday. "You know that this is usually the case all the time. The guys usually get candy and chocolate treats from those who aren't their girlfriends too."

"Maybe because he's my boyfriend?" Sakura sharply replied under her breath as her stirring started once again with a frenzy. "And the fact that I'm sure that most of those girls wish I disappeared from this world so that they could throw themselves at him."

Tomoyo's jaw went slack as she caught the comment. She was never more glad of actually recording most of her aspects of Sakura's life than she was right here at this moment. She'd probably have to watch that particular part to truly believe that her sweet Sakura was capable of saying something in that particular tone. And in such a vindictive attitude that almost warranted an avenging devil outfit.

Tomoyo's imagination grew to extravagant heights as she started to see the outfit take place in her mind before Sakura swore out loud and placed one of her fingers in her mouth. It seemed like she had gotten too close to the pot itself and managed to burn her a bit. Sakura continued with the treat without giving too much importance.

"What?" Sakura asked her friend, as she caught the look Tomoyo was giving her, while she started to give the chocolate form so that she could later gift wrap it for the next day.

"Nothing," Tomoyo snorted as she gulped down her laughter and just kept silent while her inner exuberant inner self was laughing her ass off.

"Then are you telling me that you are currently jealous of something that hasn't even happened yet?" she had to ask, her tone disbelieving as she told herself silently that the proof of her friend's earlier outburst was imprinted on her recorder for life.

"God yes," Sakura almost whined the last word as she turned to her friend with glaring eyes that were suspiciously shinning.

"But why?" Tomoyo couldn't help but ask the question as she tried to comfort her and reassure her. "You know you have nothing to worry about, right?"

"That's not as easy to completely accept when while we're in school he gets ogled by both sides of the sexes," Sakura groaned as she hit her head against the table, not truly believing she had just said that out loud.

"Well, he is very good with a ball," Tomoyo winked to her friend as she brushed her lips with her fingers and threw a kiss while shouting Syaoran's name at the top of her lungs. "And that was just the male half reaction of those in our school that want a piece of his white," she stopped before saying another word and broke out into a laughing fit.

Sakura couldn't help but join her since it was totally true. Syaoran was the best forward player in their soccer team and their current tournament, and the school went crazy when he took charge at the first game of the season they had played a few weeks back. To say that they had won by an outragous score and game play was almost an understatement. They had cheered so much that most of her school had sore throats the next day at school.

"I think his adoration is going to be the least of your problems," Tomoyo breezily snapped them both out of it. "He's the one that's going to have to find the space and strength to lug all of those gifts he's going to receive all day."

The girls broke into a laugh once again as they tried to imagine him doing such a thing.

"Enough with the images," Sakura leaned against her long time friend and gave her a hug. "Thanks for that. I know it feels stupid for me to feel this way, which most likely means that it is stupid. Still, thanks for that."

"That boy is crazy about you Sakura," Tomoyo patted her in the back and let her go as she went to check her chocolate treat.

"I'm also crazy for him," Sakura laughed as she checked the wrapping paper. She was just stressed over what was to come. She was sure that she was going to be redder than a tomato before she was able to give Syaoran her chocolate. It was the first time she would be doing this for a boyfriend, and maybe because of the unknown, she was scared that something would mess the day and its intentions.

* * *

Syaoran valiantly tried to keep his cool as he saw his peers watching him as he crossed the street for the school. Sakura had told him that she would be coming to school with Tomoyo on her car so she would not be at their usual corner to meet so that they could walk to school together. 

Maybe he shouldn't have brought the rose to the school cradled in his hand. But then, if he had brought it in his school bag, the petals could have been most likely crushed and he wanted it to be as beautiful as it could when he handed it to her.

He knew that it wasn't common on this day to give her something himself, but Syaoran knew that he wanted to give her something in return for her hard work on her offering to him for Valentine's Day. A single rose with a bow was enough to him and hopefully enough for her to understand what he was trying to tell her. The simplest of gestures were sometimes the most precious.

"Hey Syaoran," one of his soccer buddies called to him as he joined him on the walk to the front doors of their school building. He smirked as he saw the red rose in his friend's hand. "So you did get one."

"What ?" he asked confused as he saw Daisuke fidget a bit and shifting his gaze to somewhere far away. All that was left was the whistling to try to present the innocent picture someone tried to show when they were hiding something. The alarm bells inside of his thoughts rang off immediately.

Syaoran stopped walking, pulling his friend to a stop and glaring at him. "What is it that you're not telling me?" He asked in a demanding tone that let his cold eyes stare deep into Daisuke's own.

"What do you mean?" Daisuke could never lie worth a damn. His avoidance technique needed a lot of work and practice to ever be able to pull something like this off.

Daisuke's own eyes widened as he saw Syaoran's own uninterrupted glare keep steady and somehow get more menacing. "Well," he cleared his throat and gave a prayer that he wouldn't be shot as the messenger usually was. Although, he wasn't technically a messenger but more of a squealer. "You cannot tell the guys it was me Syaoran or I'm going to be dead in the next few hours."

"I'm going to gather from that comment that this also involves the guys from the team," Syaoran watched as Daisuke nodded and opened his mouth and close it a few times before he could talk again.

"Well, most of the guys know that most of the girls in school are crazy about you. I mean, you're like the start of the team and you're definitely good looking enough I believe," he cleared his throat again as he got back in track of what he was supposed to be confessing. "So, we all got some money together and bought flowers."

"And what does that have to do with this?" Syaoran motioned to the rose he carried in his hand.

"There's also the fact that all of the guys in your class as well as most of us in the sport clubs are going to be giving you a flower throughout the day," this was said very quickly. Syaoran's eyes widened as he took each word in, his jaw going slack as tormenting images ran through his mind. It was going to be a nightmare of indefinite proportions.

"Well, I better go to homeroom and see if I have any chocolates before classes start," Daisuke pulled away at a dead run to find himself being held down by Syaoran's grasping hand. He could clearly see the tendons and muscles as he held onto his uniform to keep him in place.

"Hell no!" was Syaoran's response as he dragged him into another direction. "You've already opened your mouth so you're going to help me get out of this nightmare."

Daisuke whined as he saw his life flash before his eyes. The other guys were going to kill him. Never mind the fact that he was going to be killed by the female half that was going to be pissed when Syaoran spent the whole day in such a dark mood. He became thoroughly horrified when Tomoyo's face came into mind. They had all forgotten about the princess of the school. Tomoyo was going to reign chaos when the Valentine's Day celebration for her Sakura and her boyfriend became a spectacle.

"She's going to kill us!" Daisuke dragged his feet as untold torture images flew through his thoughts. "There's not going to be anyone left alive after Tomoyo is through with this school after today."

"That would be great satisfaction," Syaoran said smugly, but his smile was calm. "I have an idea of how to turn this all around." He looked to Daisuke with a questioning glance. "It's a good thing you know everything about everyone in this school Daisuke since you're going to get me out of this."

"I don't think this bodes well for me," Daisuke said underneath his breath as he felt that he should feel somewhat insulted with that comment, but it was something that was true. "Maybe I should write a farewell note since after this day is through, I'm sure it's not going to end well for me either way." He resigned himself to the thought and calmly followed the strides of his friend as they neared the soccer club shed.

* * *

Sakura was confused. Very confused.

Ever since she got to school she had been getting smug looks from most of Syaoran's soccer teammates as well as their male classmates. She had no clue what it was about.

Syaoran had arrived late to their homeroom and giving her one of his beautiful smiles, he seated himself behind her and remained quiet throughout the classes that came one right after the other. There was no time whatsoever to give him the treat she had prepared the night before. But then, there also hadn't been time for anyone else to give him their chocolates either.

Sakura was resigned to the fact that his locker was probably going to be completely full since they couldn't give it to him directly.

"Sakura," Syaoran said by her side getting her attention. It seemed like he had been calling her name for some time trying to get her attention.

"Um," she inquired as he flicked one of her bangs from her temple behind her ear. Sakura blushed as she felt his fingers brush the tip of her ear.

"Sorry for being late this morning. There was something I had to take care of," he pulled her from her seat and it was then that she noticed that everyone was around their groups of friends and conversing with each other.

"This morning flew by," she commented as she tried to look without really looking around the classroom to see the exchanges of boxes in between her classmates. She almost broke into a laugh as she saw Chiharu smack Takashi upside the head after he took a bite of her chocolate and made a comment that probably hadn't been flattering.

Syaoran cleared his throat, making her look at him to find him humming very low underneath his breath and looking outside the window as if waiting for something. Sakura wanted to groan as she stopped herself from smacking her forehead as she reached into her bag and pulled a small box.

"Syaoran," she called his name, knowing full well that he had been looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "Here," she unveiled the square box in red wrapping paper and extended it to him.

Syaoran broke into a grin as he saw her look down a bit and not at his face. He could tell from what he could see from her cheekbones that she was blushing quite highly. The warmth that he felt too told him that he was going to be as red as she was as he accepted the box.

He couldn't stop smiling that silly grin. Sakura's hand fidgeted around her belly as he carefully unwrapped the lacy bow and opened the box. He was a bit surprised as he noticed the amount of chocolate she had made. They were all in different shapes and sizes that completely filled the box and accounted for the heaviness he noted when she had handed it to him.

"Thank you," Syaoran took one of the small hearts and popped it into his mouth chewing it carefully. He was delirious as his taste buds danced happily and the chocolate melted inside his mouth. "This is wonderful."

"Really?" he could feel her hesitation as her low tone revealed her shyness over the procedure. Sakura could be quite upfront about a lot of things but she wasn't one to deal too well with the matters of the hearts when it came to this kind of thing.

"Really," Syaoran set the box down on her desk while taking a couple of the treats. "You're a wonderful cook Sakura, no matter what you try your hand in."

He saw the small smile that formed as her gaze started to come directly to his face. Complementing her was an easy thing to do since she was such an accomplished girl. He knew he was lucky to be the guy she was interested in. He was going to be glad for the years to come for gaining her loving attention.

"Here," he offered her one of the pieces as they silently watched the outside through the window. They leaned against one another as they warmed each other's bodies with their close proximity. They savored piece by piece as the minutes ticked by and nothing could interrupt their intimacy as they stayed in their own little world while everyone else bustled around them.

Still, everyone around them were still acting strange. Sakura's eyes followed discreetly as the guys gave Syaoran sly glances and then whispered amongst themselves. It was like something was going on. She tried to point it out to Syaoran before they were done with the last class of the day but he just continued smiling the same happy face as he kept looking at the lace tie she had wound around his wrist.

It was then that it all started.

One after another, he was inundated with flowers. What had astonished her the most was the fact that they were all guys. The guys were giving her boyfriend flowers. And then it was the fact that Syaoran just smiled as the flowers added one over and over to completely cover his arms that kind of freaked her out. She knew Syaoran and he would never act this way in this type of situation. But then, he truly was acting this way.

"Happy Valentine's Day," came another well-wisher that once again winked to Syaoran and handed him another rose.

"Thank you," Sakura had taken to answering for Syaoran since she had been standing right beside him when this spectacle had all started. "What's going on?" She whispered quite loudly by his side as Syaoran placed half of his gifts onto her care.

"You'll see," was his cryptic answer as the club meetings were announced over the intercoms and everyone continued on their way.

"What are we going to do with this?" she motioned to the flowers as Syaoran nudged her to an open door and closed it right after he passed through it.

"We are going to be Valentine's Day's own cupids," Syaoran announced as a groaning Daisuke banged his head against the table he was seated at. He had numerous card notes assembled on the desk as he glared at the two new people in the room.

"I was almost caught making these notes for you today Syaoran," he smiled benignly at Sakura as she looked between the two guys with a very confused expression.

"It's not exactly fair that I'm the only one with all of these affectionate materials," Syaoran growled as he set the flowers down and motioned for Sakura to come to the table. "Now just go to my locker and get the boxes as well as that heart shaped carrier the art club left in the office."

Sakura quietly browsed through the cards on the desk, noticing the pairs that were written in each one as Syaoran explained to her what Daisuke had revealed to him this morning and what he had planned for the rest of the day for all of their classmates.

She broke into hysterical laughter as she understood the genius of his devious planning. This was definitely going to be one Valentine's Day that was not going to be easily forgotten. "I never knew you could be so devious," she finally told him after she got herself under control.

"You drive a wolf into a corner and he's going to attack with all the cunning power and strength he has left," he made a play with his name to make the analogy as he pulled her close to him and hugged her lightly. "Would you like to play a part in this devious plan?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Sakura brushed back his hair in a comfortable gesture, her breathing hitched in anticipation, as he leaned down little by little in what seemed like an eternity before he finally kissed her.

It was only a brush, almost tentative as they warmed each other with the embrace. She felt her body tremble, not knowing if it was only her or if the contact too affected him this way. Their eyes were closed as she smiled against his kiss. He nibbled her lower lip, not truly pushing further than the contact as he laid his forehead against her own and burrowed against her hair taking a deep whiff of her fragrance and numbed his brain processes.

"Do you want to have dinner with us tonight?" she asked him, surprising him for the abrupt change of subject and out of the haze of her smell that was still invading his senses. "We're all going to be home tonight including Yukito, so you don't have to worry about my brother much."

"He is the only one that can keep him from opening his mouth, isn't he?" Syaoran nodded his affirmation as the idea pleased him to no end. She was inviting him to spend the rest of Valentine's Day with her. It wouldn't matter if Touya tried to snap his head off with his glaring expression and scathing comments, it was going to be a wonderful night in his book. "I'll be glad to."

"Good," Sakura's smile eclipsed even the sun as she gazed at him. "You can come with me after school to shop around and help me choose what to prepare for tonight."

"Can I help you cook too?" He had what someone might call an ulterior motive here. He loved to watch her cook. She was always so vivacious and full of energy on everything that she did, that she drew him in with just breathing.

"Any help will be appreciated," she replied while brushing his lower lip and placing a kiss on his cheek. "You're a wonderful guy. That's why most of the girls in school would love to trade places with me in a heartbeat."

"I don't care about that," Syaoran looked away as he brushed a hand through his unruly hair. Sakura saw the start of his blush once again. "I just care about you. None of the others matter to me."

He took her hand in his own, enlacing their fingers with a strong grip that would never let go. "I love you Sakura," he grinned at her while he pulled a rose from the top of the books inside his bag and handed it to her. "I know that it isn't customary to give something to the girl until white day but I wanted to give you something too as thanks for the chocolate."

"It's beautiful," Sakura took the budding rose and brought it to her nose to inhale the fragrance. Her fingers played with the material that encased the stem made of lace that formed a bow near the bud at the top that caressed her fingertips.

"Wei helped me out with the interlacing pattern," Syaoran confessed as he saw her trace the combination of red and white that came together at the top.

"This must have taken you some time to prepare," Sakura's eyes watered as warmth spread through her chest, and an aching pull came from her chest to her heart. This hadn't been easy to plan or execute. It was something to treasure since he had made it with his own hands.

She gripped one of his strong hands in one of her own, bringing it to her cheek to nuzzle it against her cheek and kissing it before she threw herself completely into his arms and hugged him as strongly as she could. "I love you too," she replied to his early confession of a secret that they both knew too well from each other. "And that's never going to change."

"I certainly hope not," he playfully replied placing his own arms around her waist and pulling her from her feet to draw circles around the room while she squealed in surprise and delight. He had always been strong, powerful enough with his lithe body to pull her into his arms and dance with her flying in his grasp.

They had found quite early that they enjoyed this type of activity. Maybe it was because Sakura laughed hysterically as she felt herself flying while Syaoran just seemed to enjoy making her laugh. He had caught her this way the first time she had thrown herself into his arms after his return.

"Come away with me for an afternoon of delights," his lips fluttered dangerously close against her own as he set her on her feet.

"With pleasure," she pulled him down as they claimed each other and the bursting feelings that they pulled from one another. Sakura opened her mouth beneath his as he pulled her close and closer still while nothing else mattered but her touch and herself. He tasted her deeply, coming to understand her own taste and essence as they learnt step by step the deliciousness of a more intimate embrace. It was surprising and wonderful when they experimented with their mouths. Their tongues probed out, dancing slowly as they drank as much as they could from each other.

Sakura felt her knees go weak as his embrace persisted. A warmth spread throughout her, settling a sensation deep in her navel that made her want to compress it some way. It kept pulling and pulling as Syaoran caressed the slight short hairs that was sprayed over the back of her neck. It felt silky and smooth, her skin soft and gentle beneath the tips of his fingers. They broke away as silently as they began, breathing heavily as she laid her head against his chest and let it rest there, knowing that it was going to take her some time to gather her surroundings once again and for her ears to stop ringing as it only heard the fast beatings of his heart and hers.

It wasn't long before everything was ready and with a grimacing Daisuke by their side, they started walking throughout the whole school where the students were congregated for their clubs and their 'victims' were going to be. Sakura laughed again and again at the surprised faces on her classmates.

Syaoran gave the girls roses while she dispensed the chocolates to the guys. Each one was accompanied with a card that had two names on it. One was a girl and one was a guy. The guys sputtered almost indignant, avoiding everyone's eyes as their faces turned red as they thought and their eyes shouted retribution when confronted with the name on the card. The girls weren't too taken aback by their presence, but the flowers they were given startled them as Syaoran played his part of messenger for the day of love.

"What's this all about?" one of the guys asked her as she handed him a package with a card on it. This was her last stop as she handed the last chocolate box.

"We know of someone who thinks very nicely of you," she said almost confidently. "And also of the fact that you like her as well." She whispered the girls name in his ear while tapping the card and just moved away.

"I think that something good is going to come out of this," Sakura confidently stated as she joined Syaoran by the doorway. "At least now they know that things didn't go as they expected it." Both hid from view as they saw Daisuke run for his life as the entire soccer team went after him, their arms flaying wildly and their boxes gripped tightly in their hands as they shouted their thoughts of retribution.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he shouted as he crossed the hallway at breakneck speed. "Tomoyo!" he shouted as she saw him approach the stairs she had just climbed.

"Go," she said to him with a smile on her face as she crossed her arms, facing the racing guys that kept on coming towards her at a run. They were incredibly fast because of the sport they played. If it wasn't for the fact that Daisuke was also part of the team, he would have been caught before being able to leave the classroom. She put a hand out firmly without speaking, one eyebrow raised as if daring them, and watched as they slowed down as they approached her.

"Most of you guys have something to do right now that has nothing to do with Daisuke," she warned them as she pointed to the boxes. "You have some girls to thank for the chocolates you have been given."

A couple of them gulped quite audibly as she continued to look at them, while turning her head sideways bit by bit. "Maybe I should say that while I did nothing to stop you guys from your flower strategy, that you forgot something important or perhaps just misplaced it for a bit, and I concocted one of my own. You guys should know by now that there is nothing in this school that I don't know about."

Some footsteps approached from behind her, catching the attention of everyone as a couple of girls appeared behind her. Some of the guys looked around alarmingly as they saw the roses they had in their hands. "I thought it would be a nice change of pace to change things around a bit and while the girls still made chocolates, I told them to put them in Syaoran's locker. I don't know how it was that you guys didn't notice that you hadn't received what you usually received from all your girl 'friends'. Since they were all in the plan from the beginning, they all picked and were given information about your own inclinations towards them when needed."

Daisuke was a flight down the stairs, leaning against the wall and cowering as he remembered how he had been cornered into giving information about his friends when asked about them by all the girls. They had all cornered him in a room with no escape. Tomoyo had also been there, offering him full immunity to the attack if he cooperated. She had whispered quite confidentially to his ear before he could make up his mind in the end that he was going to have to do it anyways, even if not willingly. No one could go against Tomoyo when she put her mind to something, everyone always just fell straight into her plans if they wanted to have a much easier time of it.

"Since there's nothing in this school that I don't know about, including the knowledge of those of you who have a crush but will never say it face to face, I inducted Syaoran into my scheme of making this one Valentine's Day this school would never forget." Tomoyo glanced to one side, catching Syaoran's and Sakura's wide eyes through the slight opening of the door and winked at them.

"Tomoyo scares me," Syaoran confessed to Sakura as more girls continued to appear.

"Does this remind you of someone?" Sakura had to ask me, knowing that she wanted to have her suspicions shared.

"Eriol," they both groaned as they recalled one of the biggest manipulators they had ever had the pleasure of being manipulated by.

"So here you go girls," Tomoyo stepped aside and started to walk away as she laughed excitedly in her maniacal, having too much fun way. She was always so exuberant when something went just according to plan. "We'll see if you guys have enough time to come up with a prank when you have to deal with the fair gender and your own relationships."

They didn't know how it had happened, but the boys had been had. Maybe that was the main reason as to why even the shyest of girls in the group was staring quite intently, eyeing the object of her affections with courage and hard eyes. This time it was the guys turn to shift about unknowingly and nervously as they fingered the cards with a familiar writing they were starting to recognize.

"She's a crafty one," the vice captain of the soccer team muttered between them before he froze under the stare of the girl that had her name written on the card of the box he was clutching. Well, someone had to be the first to talk or they would be standing like this for the rest of the hours left of the afternoon.

"Hikaru," he said her name quite confidently as he walked forward, stopping right in front of her. He cleared his throat as he saw her eyes waver from her stare and a light blush covered her neck. He'd always been amazed by how she blushed. It always seemed to start somewhere bellow and then spreading to her face. "Thank you for the chocolates."

"Thank you for the rose," she said sarcastically, knowing quite well that he hadn't actually gotten the flower for her.

He looked at her apologetically, cursing silently as he felt some of the guys snickering. It was then that he noticed Syaoran lounging by one of the doors with Sakura by her side and looking quite pleased while putting one finger in the air indicating one down. He wanted to growl at the guy, but he had other things to worry about standing in front of him than Syaoran's face.

It wasn't like they didn't like the rookie, which is what they called him since he had just transferred a couple of weeks ago into the school. In fact, they very much enjoyed having the guy around. They had just intended it as a joke since he seemed oblivious to the female attention he was always getting while on the field and out. They'd just wanted something to laugh about and to make them feel better if one of their own girlfriends or ones they were interested in would give him a chocolate box, even just as a friend, and there was nothing they could do about it. They knew that he only had eyes for Sakura, but that didn't mean that the other girls didn't give him the eye anytime they had the opportunity and that had frustrated them a bit.

He saw it then, Sakura had a flower herself, but it was different from the ones they had bought. This one had an intricate lacing design that covered the whole stem. Syaoran definitely knew more about a girl's feelings than they did by the look on Sakura's face as she inhaled the fragrance. Of course, there was always White Day to make up for this if he wasn't dismembered first by the girl that had written his name on the box he held in his hands.

"Give them a break Hikaru," Sakura said from her place, her and Syaoran's hands gripped together as they walked away. They had plans for the rest of the day and every minute counted.

"I think that after today girls, you're going to have your hands full with gestures," the guys understood the message as they saw the couple look at them quite intently. Those whose girlfriends were standing with the girls apologetically walked to them as they sarcastically held their flowers in front of them. Some groveling was going to be done to get them to smile, that much they knew. It was also going to be understood that there would be no messing with Syaoran after this. Tomoyo had laid out her rules and Valentine's Day was off limits to jokes.

"I'm wondering just how devious Tomoyo can truly be," Sakura questioned to herself out loud.

"Very," said girl answered standing before them with a grinning expression. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Daisuke stood beside her smiling. "Sorry for keeping you in the dark."

"I wouldn't have expected any less when Tomoyo is involved," Syaoran said in return as he made to walk by them as Sakura said her goodbyes for the day to her friend. He was stopped as Tomoyo placed a hand in his way.

"You're forgetting something," she announced as her chauffeur came forward with a medium cardboard box. He handed it to Syaoran who grimaced at its contents. "These are the actual chocolates that were for you from our classmates. You really are quite popular with the girls, as well as some guys."

"What am I going to do with this?" Syaoran wondered as Sakura muttered something underneath her breath. Syaoran blinked in disbelief as he was sure that he hadn't heard it right. He looked to Sakura who was biting her mouth closed with wide eyes staring at her hands as she realized that he had possibly heard her.

"Here," he dropped the box into Daisuke's arms without warning, almost felling him. "Do what you want with the chocolates. If there are any notes then leave them for me since I should probably thank them for their time for making them." He was always polite, knowing how much courage it would take to make even one gesture of feeling to someone else. He had struggled himself with Sakura when he'd been faced with telling her how he felt. That had to be acknowledged in some way.

Tomoyo kept smiling in satisfaction as Syaoran grabbed both his and Sakura's bags with one hand and grasped one of hers with the other. "We have some things to do this afternoon."

Sakura waved her goodbyes to them before matching his hurried pace. "Let's get out of here before something else comes up and we're stranded here."

Sakura obliged him gladly, their hands carefully sharing warmth through their skin. "So, have you given any thought as to what you want to prepare for tonight?" He inquired as they calmly walked down the streets, their hands swinging in momentum between them intertwined.

"Some seafood platter. Um, seafood paella," she declared. "It's one of my favorites and easy to prepare if I have some help. We'll also need some strawberries and chocolate."

"For dessert?" he inquired, knowing quite well that she loved the fruit and the various types of delicacies she could make with it.

"It is Valentine's Day after all," she answered quite confidently as he brought her closer and placed his arm around her shoulder to draw her near to his side.

"I think you're the sweetest thing I've ever tasted. There's a combination of strawberries and a lime tinge," they both blushed at his comment. A bit of embarrassment passing quite rapidly as she stopped him and kissed his cheek knowing that he had probably not meant to say that out loud.

Sakura knew that Syaoran loved limes. He'd told her so several times. Strawberry ice cream was also one of his favorite things to snack on too. The fact that he used both to describe what he experienced when he'd tasted her in their first beyond the touching of their lips kiss told her a lot of how much he had enjoyed the experience.

Sakura saw him shift a bit on his feet, nervous, as she started walking once again. Something popped in her mind as she replayed his comment in her thoughts. He stopped completely in his tracks, just staring at her transfixed, as she murmured before entering the store something she had noticed while he'd been kissing her deeply and making her knees give out on her earlier. It wasn't until then that she had actually found a word to describe what she'd tasted. It was something she was familiar with, but hadn't connected.

"Well, you taste like chocolate to me."

* * *

THE END

* * *

This took a long while for me to write. Yep, it is like five days too late from the theme and day it is written for, but I couldn't help myself. This just kept growing and growing and I ended up close to 7000 words here. Sorry for the delay, but this is how it always seems to be with me. Although maybe I did put too much in the end and could have cropped it more, I'm just going to leave it like this. 

Also, does anyone wonder just what Sakura said under her breath at the last scene? Mwahahahaha! I know what she said... and I'm wondering if you'd like to know too that prompted Syaoran to hand over the cardboard box to Daisuke and clutch her hand to escape. I'm an evil person so... ha! I've had a story on my mind for quite some time that might work as a follow up to this universe. It has more Tomoyo though, but it is something I've wanted to write for quite some time. Maybe if I finally get to it, you'd all get an answer to my question. Would you like a follow up? If not, then it might take years for me to actually get to it. It's already been on the planning stage for over a year and it can wait more if no one is interested.

I'm currently writing some oneshots that I don't want to spiral out of control. Sharp Claws is a kind of follow up to Green Eyed Monster and Gnawing Desire which will have some supernatural elements as well as adult situations. So... I'm writing everyone, it's just getting to be much longer in the process than what I think it's going to be.

'Till the next story... MS

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